Trusting All Around Me
by Kisa Midnite
Summary: "You're going to have to trust me," he says. "How can I do that," I ask tilting my head. "I don't know you and I hardly know myself." His reply; "You'll learn." Some part of me knows I've always had trust issues. Why do I have them, I don't know. All I know is that I have to overcome them and trust the very people looking out for me; the ones holding my life in their hands.
1. Chapter 1

"I lost myself again/Like the dead of the night, the dead of the night," James Durbin _Deeper_.

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**Chapter 1**

The school bell rings, the ending of class. Collecting my belongings, I place them in my Hello-Kitty messenger bag. I walk out of class slightly hunched over with my head down trying to stay invisible.

I bump into some people and mutter an apology. They only tell me to watch where I'm going. Keeping my head down I nod in reply and continue onward. A few moments later I lift my head to see the exit. I pick up my speed only to get stop by a group of five guys.

"Where do you think you're going," asks Ry -the leader- with a sneer. His brown eyes narrow almost to slits.

"Did you actually think we would forget what you did at lunch to us," asks Siouko glaring at me.

"I apologized," I squeak out. "I didn't mean to."

"Lies," Ry says snapping his fingers. "You guys know what to do with her."

I gasp as they start snickering. Ry's face splits in a huge grin. With wide blue-grey eyes, I quickly spin on my heel and start running. I can hear them shouting as they start chasing me down the hallway. The other students move out of the way not bothering to help. They either continue to exit school, or stand by and watch. Some of them even have their phones out recording.

I turn into another hallway looking for a teacher. Any adult that will be able to help me. My messenger bag slams against my legs slowing me down. One of them says that they're almost caught up with me. I push myself to run faster.

One of the other students nearby accidently –at least that's what I tell myself- bump into me. I start stumbling then trip over my own feet. Unable to stop my momentum I crash into an opening door. Pain scratches its claws against my face. I fall backwards landing on my back, causing the air in my lungs to leave in a gasp. Pain then proceeds to stab my backside.

"What's going on," ask a teacher closing the door and looking down at me. "You should know better than to run inside the hallways."

"I-I'm sorry," I stutter, slowly sitting up and bring my hand to my face making sure I'm not bleeding.

"Are you okay," the teacher asks with a sigh, moving his glasses closer to his dark brown eyes. He runs his hand through his messy mob of brown hair.

"I think so," I reply with a slow nod.

"If that is the case, then please go home now," he says then proceeds to turn around. I look behind me to see Ry with his group of friends waiting.

"Wait," I call out quickly getting up to chase after the teacher.

"Not so fast," I hear Ry whisper into my ear as his hand covers my mouth.

I try struggling out of his grasp, but it's no use. His friends walk over to me. Two of them grab my legs and the other two grab my arms. I continue to try and struggle. Ry slaps me across the face. My eyes widen in shock as the pain stings across my cheek. Using my shock as an opening they start walking, carrying me down the hallway. Nobody stops us, and Ry keeps looking around to make sure to not get caught by the teachers.

"Let me go," I yell over my shock, and hoping one of the administrators hears me.

"Shut the hell up," Siouko says glaring at me with blue eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I let out the loudest scream I can manage. Everyone in the hallway freezes. I continue screaming when I hear the sound of running footsteps echoing in the hallway coming to our direction. With panic Ry punches me in the jaw and the five guys start running in the opposite direction. Ry then places his hand over my mouth trying to keep me quiet. Instead I go back to struggling, and even though my voice is muffled I continue screaming.

After a few minutes, with my pointless screaming and struggling the five guys stop in front of a door. They look at each other smirking. Ry removes his hand and grabs a backpack off one of the guys. Opening it up the bag he pulls out some tape and rope, his brown eyes daring me to try something. Narrowing my blue-grey eyes, I take another deep breath to scream, but at the snap of his fingers the guys drop me to the ground.

"Hold her still," Ry demands. Just as I start getting up they all put their hands on me.

"Let go," I scream trying to once again struggle.

"Not happening," Siouko says smirking.

"Go to…."

Before I can finish the sentence Ry places duct tape across my mouth. He then proceeds to wrap it around my head. While doing that I can feel the others tying rope around my ankles and wrist. Still nobody bothers helping or calling for help. They just leave, the once crowded hallways now only holding a few dwindling students.

After a few minutes, -I didn't quit in my struggling- the guys move away from me. They look at one another and start grinning. I glare at them and they shrug their shoulder not caring.

"As punishment for what you did to us at lunch," Siouko starts saying. Ry starts speaking, finishing the sentence as he opens the door.

"You'll be stuck in here until someone finds you," Ry says pushing me through the door.

My body slams against a lot of shelves. My eyes try adjusting to the dark closet. The guys laugh, high fiving one another.

"You'll be stuck in there for a while since no one really cares if you go missing," Ry says.

"Enjoy your stay," Siouko says with a cackle. "Next time you won't run into us spilling your food."

The guys then proceed to throw some sort of thick sticky liquid on me. Ry pulls out a flashlight. He turns it on then throws it towards me. I move my head back so not to get hit. Snickering, the guys close the closet. The sound of a click echoes in the small closet.

I start to battle against my bindings as I hear them walking away laughing. The rope rubs painfully against my exposed skin. Growling as loudly as I can, I try throwing my body against the shelves hoping the noise will get someone's attention.

Time, seems to crawl by, or maybe it's not moving. That's ridicules to think, of course time is moving. Time is constant it can't just stop moving. It sure does feel like that though. All I know is that my body aches. My stomach is growling begging for food. Whatever the guys pour on me is now stuck to my body like glue. It sort of is making my stomach twist with its sickly sweet smell.

Anyways, I have no clue how much time has pass. I have been able to successfully move my tied arms from behind to in front of me. Now, I'm just twisting and turning my raw wrist around to get them out, or at least loosen the ropes a bit. Okay, I just want it untie so I can get the ropes off my ankles and remove the tape.

My phone starts going off, playing 'Whatya Want from Me' by Adam Lambert. With my bound hands I try opening my messenger back. By the time I get it open the phone stops playing. I wait for a moment and it goes off again. Quickly, I rummage through my bag until my hand wraps around the phone. I pull it out just as it goes off.

Opening the phone I look to see who the miss calls were from. I find out they're from my mother. I put the phone back in my back knowing it's useless to try and tell her anything. One because I can't talk and two my phone doesn't do text messages. Even if I could talk, how will I explain any of this to her?

After what seems like hours –it could have been a few minutes- I'm finally able to remove my hands from the ropes. If I could I would sigh at having my hands free. I do a small debate with myself and decide the tape needs to come off first.

With that decision, I start pulling off the tape. My eyes water up from the pain as muffle cries of pain escapes. Taking a deep breath, I start pulling off the tape faster, unwinding it all until it's completely off. My cry echoes loudly in the closet as I drop the tape. I see some of my light brown hair on it and push it away from me.

As quickly as I can, I start undoing the rope on my ankles. When I'm finally satisfied that it's loose enough, I start trying to kick the rope off. Standing up I check to see if the door is lock. I grin –they must have thought there was no need to lock the door- and push it open. I met with a barley lit hallway. Holding my messenger back closer, I go to take a step out.

"Hey what are you doing here at this time of night," I hear someone asks as they shout.

I jump in the air letting out a scream. My feet fumble and the next thing I know my body is falling forward. Squeezing my eyes shut, I hold out my hands waiting for them to meet with the tile floor. Instead, it just feels like I'm falling forever and the sound of wind is rushing all around me. I dare to open my eyes only to once again scream for what seems to be the millionth time.

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**Author's Note: That is the end of the first chapter, and the start of many more to come. I thought it would be good to end on a cliffhanger. Not much about the character is known in this chapter. However, in the next chapter you will learn her name and more of what she looks like. Her profile will be up on my profile. As for the guys that locked her up in the closet; they will never be seen again…maybe.**

**Also Siouko is pronounced sue-ko.**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns any Naruto characters mention in this story. I only own the main character and the plot. Thank you to anyone who reads this, adds this to their favorites and/or alerts, and/or reviews. Stay tuned for the next chapter. ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

"Steel to my trembling lips, /how did the night ever get like this?" Adam Lambert _Runnin'_

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**Chapter 2**

I see a bunch of trees and a forest floor rushing up to greet me. Or I'm rushing down. Either way, I have no clue how, but I'm falling from the sky. How did this happen? I was in school coming out of a closet. I'm supposed to be hitting a floor not the ground. Oh no, I'm going to die.

I start screaming louder. My mind is racing with thoughts on how I'll survive this. If I make it out of this alive, I promise to be a better daughter. I'll fix everything with my parents so they don't get a divorce. Please god if you can hear me, I don't want to die.

I curl up into myself closing my eyes as I get closer to the trees. My breath leaves me lungs in a loud whoosh. Well, it sounds more like a forced cough. I watch scenes of my life flash before my eyes as I tumble down the tree branches. I get hit all over the place, no doubt getting scratched up in bruises, until finally I hit the ground. When I hit, I let out a loud cry of pain then everything goes black.

**-Third POV-**

A little boy around the age of ten is collecting firewood when he hears screaming. Standing up, the boy's purple eyes scan the forest. Hearing another scream, the young boy drops the wood and takes off running towards the source of the screaming. Out of the white pouch strapped to his right leg, he pulls out a kunai.

After a few minutes the boy stops running. His eyes continue scanning everything, as he slowly and quietly start walking. He waits for another scream, the sound of some sort of enemy, but is only met with silence.

He finally comes across a girl. He looks around to make sure there are no enemies. Satisfied, he places the kunai back in his pouch and walks over to the girl. She is lying on the ground. The girl's eyes are close. She is wearing a leather jacket, with a pink shirt that has Tweety Bird wearing glasses and says 'Nerdy Bird.' Along with that she has jeans that are torn up and her shoes are missing.

The boy looks over her, checking her injuries. He notices that her light brown hair is in some sort of braid, but he also notices that it's turning red. Immediately the boy lifts the girl up. Softly he runs his hand over the back of her head. The girl lets out a whimper but doesn't wake up.

Pulling his blood covered hand away, he picks the girl up. He is surprised by how light she weighs. He thought, since she looks older than him that she would weigh more, but that isn't the case. However, he pushes that to the back of his mind and starts walking in the direction he came from. He keeps his guard up the whole time, until he makes it to a small cottage.

"Mika," the boy calls out. "I need help!"

A young woman in her thirties runs out of the cottage. She's wearing a simple traditional blue kimono with an apron. She has dark brown hair that is up in a messy bun. Her grey eyes look at the boy then the girl in his arms.

"My goodness, what happen," the woman Mika asks.

"I don't know," the boy replies.

"Come in quickly," Mika says opening the door wider. "Place her in my bed."

The boy nods and goes to place the girl in Mika's bed. Meanwhile, Mika quickly runs around the house grabbing bandages, herbs and rags. She runs into her room and over to her bed. Her hands slightly glow a green color as they hover over the girl's body.

"Shiru, you have to quickly get the firewood, but first get me some warm water."

"Okay," the boy Shiru replies and runs out.

He returns a moment later with a large bowl of water. Shiru places the water next to Mika then runs out to finishing collecting the firewood. Mika slowly undresses the girl, looking over her injuries. She notices some old bruises on the girl and assumes they're from training.

Once Mika has the girl down to her undergarments, she carefully runs a rag over her body. The girl lets out a few whimpers, but not once does she wake up. After, cleaning her up, Mika once again has her hands hover over the girl as they glow green.

With a nod, Mika starts bandaging the girl up. First taking care of her head injury; then she starts fixing the girls broken rips. After an hour, she does all she can for the girl. She wraps the girl up in the covers and walks out of the room.

**-Time Skip: 8 Hours Later-**

I groan loudly and try to roll over. My breath escapes in a gasp of pain. I stay perfectly still for a few moments. The aroma of food hits my nose and my stomach lets out a loud growl. Opening my eyes I am greeted with…nothing. Quickly I sit up ignoring the pain. I move my head left and right, my eyes frantically looking around. I can't see anything. It's all extremely blurry and I hardly see any colors. Some part of me is telling me that I've become blind.

The sound of a…door opening reaches my ears. I turn my head in the direction it came from. All I see is a blob…or a short rectangular shape even after blinking my eyes a few times. It starts moving forwards. I move backwards and that is when I notice I'm on some sort of material.

"I'm not going to hurt you," a voice says. I look up in the direction it came from to be met with the same type of shape. So the rectangle blob shape is a person. "Are you hungry?"

My stomach growls at the mention of food. I look down feeling my cheeks heating up. The person lets out a laugh. Looking up I watch them walk out. With the person out of the room, I close my eyes in hopes that maybe it will help me get my sight back.

There's a knock and the person says, "I'm back."

I open my eyes hoping, but nothing has changed. A sigh escapes and I lean back in the bed no longer able to ignore the pain. The person walks over, and though I try to see what they are doing I'm unable to. My nail dig into my palms hating the fact I can't see. I don't understand how this happen.

"Mika will be here in a minute," the person says.

I nod in reply, though I have no clue whom this Mika is. Once again my stomach growls at the aroma of food, but I dare not reach out for it. I have no clue where I am at, or who these people are. How can I possibly accept food from them? It could be poisoned or something.

"You should eat," the person says. "Mika worked really hard on the food."

I shake my head. There's no way I can accept the food. Plus, I care more about my sight then food right now. I want to know what happen, where am I at? How did I get here?

"Is she not eating," I hear a woman ask.

I look up, but once again nothing changes. My nails dig deeper into my palms. I get the urge to throw something. This isn't right, why is my sight gone? Then a thought comes to me. Has my sight always been gone? My breathing becomes shallow as I try searching for the answer. All I get though is nothing, until a small voice tell me no, that I used to be able to see.

"Hello," I hear the woman again, her voice pulling me away from my thoughts. "My name is Mika, and this is my stepson Shiru. I brought you some hot herbal tea that will help your injuries heal faster."

I just look in the direction I hear the woman Mika talking from. So the other person is Shiru, a boy. I look down silently saying I refuse to accept. The drink could be poisoned.

"You're going to need to eat and drink to help get your health up," Mika says. "Plus, you're very skinny. It's almost unhealthy."

I ignore her comment. Instead I ask, "What…happen? Where am I? How did I get here?"

"This is our home," Shiru replies. "I'm the one that brought you here."

"We don't know what happen to you," Mika says with a sigh. "We were hoping you could tell us."

I become silent again. Her words play around my head as I try thinking about what happen. My eyes narrow as I keep searching for the answer but I get nothing. I keep coming up blank. This isn't right. What is wrong with me?

"I don't know," I reply slowly.

"Can you tell us your name," Mika asks.

"My name," I repeat trailing off trying to think of my name. What is my name?

"I'm going to check something," Mika says. I look up to see her moving forward. "I'm not going to hurt you, so please stay calm."

I try moving backwards, fearing what she said. Except, the pain from my ribs and everywhere else crawls through me, so I'm unable to go very far. I try watching what she does, but with my vision –or what is left of it- I'm unable to see anything. All of a sudden, I feel something warm on my head. I wonder what it is, but I dare not move.

"I see," I hear Mika say, and in the next second the warmth is gone.

"What's wrong," I ask, my voice slightly trembling.

"Well, I'm not completely sure," Mika replies. "You'll have to visit a medical ninja that is more advance than me, but from where you've been injured, I think you're suffering from amnesia."

"What's amnesia," Shiru asks.

"Memory loss," Mika replies.

I sit frozen in the bed. At least I think it's a bed it could be the couch. So not only does it seem that I have lost my vision, but I've lost my memory. I grab the first thing my hand comes in contact with. Screaming, I throw the object in a random direction. Why does it have to be me?

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**Author's Note: The end of chapter two with another cliff-hanger. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Eventually, -in a few chapters- some Naruto characters will make their appearance. I apologize, I know I said you'll know her name, but as you can tell her name isn't mention. I promise in the next chapter her name will be revealed, and it will be her real name. I'm just trying to get everything set up.**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns any Naruto characters mention in this story. I only own the main character, Mika, Shiru and the plot. Thank you to anyone who reads this, adds this to their favorites and/or alerts, and/or reviews. Stay tuned for the next chapter. ^.^**


	3. Chapter 3

"And I wanna believe you, /When you tell me that it'll be ok, /Ya I try to believe you, /But I don't," Avril Lavigne _Tomorrow._

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**Chapter 3**

"Calm down please," I hear Mika yell.

"No," I scream out.

My hands grab any object they touch. I then proceed to throw the object in whatever direction. Any sort of pain is not felt at the moment. The sound of something shattering echoes and I can't help but imagine how it represents me at this moment. Everything is falling apart.

"Help me hold her still," Mika shouts out.

"Stay away," I yell.

I try to move away from out under the covers. Instead, the covers feel like they're just twisting around me. Still, I continue struggling to get out and get away. Only, I end up falling onto the floor. For a moment I stop shouting as the pain returns, but I quickly push it away when I feel hands on me.

"Let me go," I cry out.

"Calm down please," Mika says trying to sound soothing.

"We're not going to hurt you," Shiru says.

"No," I choke out, continuing the small feeble attempt of trying to escape.

Hot tears slide down my cheek realizing that I won't be able to get out of their grasp. Sobs start causing me to shake as I let out small moans of pain. Though, I know that throwing a tantrum and crying won't fix anything, it helps me feel a little better.

After a few minutes, I feel myself being lifted and place back on the bed. I don't bother struggling. The moment my body touches the bed, my hand searches for a pillow or stuff animal. Coming up with nothing, I curl into the fetus position and continue crying. I hear Mika whispering something, and then I hear footsteps leave the room.

Someone starts running their hand through my hair. They say nothing, which is fine by me. Time passes and eventually my sobbing turns into sniffles and hiccups. I stay in my position, refusing to take part of whatever will be waiting for me. However, my tantrum and crying has drained my energy. My eyes close, too heavy to stay open, and I fall into the landscape of dreams.

**-Third POV-**

Mika stays by the girl's side until she falls asleep. She grabs one of the pillows off the floor and places it under the girl's head. Standing up, Mika picks up the tray of food and the drink. She walks out towards the kitchen. She places the cup in the fridge to heat up and try giving it to the girl again later. As for the food, she goes out to the backyard and throws it out to let the animals eat it. She then goes to the front yard to check on Shiru. She watches her stepson with a small smile as he trains. After a few minutes she goes back inside to take care of the dishes.

"Shiru," Mika calls out, after finishing the dishes.

"Yeah Mika," Shiru replies as he runs into the cottage.

"I need you to go into town," she says making a list.

"Okay," Shiru replies with a grin, he always loves going into town.

"Here," she says with a smile handing him the list and a small pouch. "I need you to get those supplies and see if you can find a medical ninja. The pouch should contain enough to pay for everything on the list and for the medical ninja. If it isn't enough, then visit the jeweler and give him this bracelet."

Mika proceeds to take off a silver bracelet with a sapphire heart shaped charm. Shiru looks at Mika with disbelief. The bracelet was something he always seen her wearing ever since his father gave it to her. Mika gives him a small smile placing her hand on his shoulders.

"I'm not very skilled with medical jutsu," Mika says. "I can check to see what's wrong, and heal minor injuries, but anything besides that and I'm no good. We're going to need the money to pay for the extra food and for that girl to see a real medical ninja. Plus, we might have to travel to find that girl's parents."

"But you love this bracelet," Shiru says.

"That I do, but that girl needs our help more than I need this bracelet. Now go, I want you back before the sunsets. Get yourself something to eat while you're out."

"Okay," Shiru replies.

"Take care of yourself," Mika calls out as Shiru runs out of the house.

"I will," he yells back in reply.

Mika lets out a sigh and starts cleaning up around the house. Every ten minutes she would check on the girl. Around lunch time, Mika returns to the kitchen and starts cooking a small lunch and reheating the drink.

**-Normal POV-**

I wake up to the aroma of food. A sigh escapes between my slightly parted lips as I open my eyes. My sight hasn't change, but it looks like things are a little brighter, but not by much. I realize that there's something soft, like a pillow –probably is a pillow- under my head. I wonder how it got there but then figured it was either Mika or Shiru. So slowly, I get out of the fetus position. I bite down on my lower lip to keep myself from crying out in pain. After a few minutes, I slowly turn until I'm on my back.

I look up, though I can't really see anything, I know I'm staring at the ceiling. Sighing, I close my eyes. What is the point of having them open if I can barely see a thing? Why has this all happen to me? Did I do something wrong that I'm being punished for it? If I did, then I regret doing it and I'm sorry for whatever it is I did.

Maybe I should just put that to the side for now. They…more specifically, Mika had asked me my name. What is my name? Is it…Akamai? No absolutely not. Then is it, Rin? No, that doesn't seem right either. Is it Kinaki? Nope, that's wrong too. What could my name possibly be?

I clench my hands into the covers, squeezing my eyes tightly shut as if that will help. My name is somewhere in my mind, I just have to find it. I imagine rows upon rows of filing cabinets. In my mind I'm able to see and read what each cabinet is labeled. On the right side, the cabinets are labeled 'Unattainable at This Time.' So, I look over to the left side, which there is only one file cabinet, unlike the right side which has hundreds.

I open the cabinet on the left side and start scanning through the folders. Actually, there isn't a whole bunch of folder to scan through. There are about twenty folders. I pick up the one reading 'Important Info.' Opening the tan folder, my eyes scan over the writing. They stop at the part that says 'name.'

"Cici," I say out loud opening my eyes. Now that I'm no longer in my mind imagining, I'm back to practically no eye sight.

"Excuse me," I hear Mika. I turn in the direction of her voice.

"My name is Cici," I say with a smile happy to remember something about myself.

"I never heard that type of name before," Mika replies. "But it is a nice name. I brought you some food and the drink from before."

I don't say anything. Instead, I turn my head back in its original position. My eyes close once again as I hear Mika walk farther into the room. Is this how the rest of my life will be?

"Well Cici, I really think you should eat. Like I said before you're so skinny it's almost unhealthy. You don't have to eat everything, but please it something."

"What is it," I ask after a few minutes of silence.

"It is kurimu shitu* with some onigiri and the herbal hot tea."

I debate with myself for a few minutes. Finally, opening my eyes I say, "Okay, I'll eat a little."

"That's fine."

Biting on my lower lip, I slowly sit up. I hear Mika doing something, and then I feel arms around me helping me up. For a moment I freeze feeling the arms around me. Mika makes a soothing sound, but it takes me a moment to relax and let her help me sit up. I have no idea why I froze.

"Here," Mika says placing something in my lap.

"Thank you," I say as I look down and let my hands slowly trace what's in my lap.

I come to the conclusion that it is a tray. I see different blob shapes of colors. Slowly, I reach for what I think is the onigiri. My hand slips into a hot liquid instead. Hissing, immediately I draw my hand back and start blowing on it.

"That was the kurimu shitu," Mika says. "Are you okay?"

"That hurt," I reply. "Is there a napkin I can wipe my hands on?"

"I'll be right back."

Mika leaves the room. I continue blowing on my hands. With my other hand, I place it on the tray. I let it move across the tray letting my fingertips brush against the objects. Thinking I found the bowl, I let my fingers trace it to make sure. With a small nod I push it to the side away from the other objects.

"I'm back," Mika says walking back into the room. "Here you go."

I stop blowing on my injured hand and look in her direction. My hand reaches out slowly to where it looks like she is holding out the napkin. Instead my hand just keeps going until I can no longer stretch out my arm.

"Cici, I'm going to ask you a question."

"Okay," I reply still trying to find the napkin.

"Where am I standing?"

"Right where you're standing," I reply pointing at her rectangular blob shape.

"Can you describe to me what I look like?"

"A blue rectangle," I answer honestly.

"Is that all?"

"You're very blurry."

"Here," she replies placing something in my hands.

Realizing it's the napkin, I start wiping my hand that went into the stew. I hear Mika rummaging around in something, but I ignore her turning my attention back to the tray. Placing the napkin down next to me, I once again try reaching for the onigiri.

When my hand comes in contact with the food, I know it's exactly what I wanted on the first try. Picking it up, I hold it over my free hand and bring it to my lips. I take a bite. The moment the food touches my tongue, my stomach rumbles and I start chewing fast. Just as I'm swallowing, I go for another bite. Within a few minutes I finish the onigiri.

"Found it," Mika says out loud.

"Found what," I ask.

"A pair of my husband's glasses," she replies with a sad tone.

"Where is he?"

"In the afterlife," she replies as I hear her footsteps. "Tell me if the glasses make a difference."

With a nod, I feel the glasses place on my face. The only thing it does is make everything worse and my eyes to start hurting. Quickly, I take the glasses off and hold them out.

"They hurt," I say as I feel her taking them away. "And they make things worse."

"Have you ever worn glasses before?"

"No," I reply, the answer coming to me easily. I smile once again knowing something about myself.

"Do you remember if you ever use to see?"

"I remember I used to be able to see perfectly fine," I reply, knowing I had asked myself the same question earlier.

"Can you describe what the room looks like?"

"Not really," I reply shaking my head. "All I can see is blurry images of shapes that look like blobs and color.

"When Shiru returns with the medical ninja, they can tell you what is wrong with you."

"What is a medical ninja? I've…never heard…that term before."

"They're a doctor," she replies as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay," I reply, not liking her tone. "I'm done eating."

"Drink the tea," she says then places what feels like a cup in my hand.

I feel her remove the tray off my lap. My eyes look down at my hand as I hear her walk out. My stomach turns at the smell of the tea. Slowly, I bring it to my mouth and take a sip. Immediately, I start gagging at the bitter taste.

"It needs sugar," I say when I hear the footsteps walk back into the room.

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**Author's Note: I just might end every chapter at a cliffhanger. That sounds like a good idea. Like I promised, you finally learn the character's name. Cici's name means blind. Now, I named her that because I like the name. I decided she was going to end up blind before she even received the name Cici. When I got the idea that her name should be Cici, I searched the meaning and found out it meant blind. That just tells me that she was meant to be named Cici. Also, she will cross paths eventually with one of the Naruto character, just be patient.**

**Kurimu shitu* is a cream stew made with chicken or pork with mixed vegetables cooked in thick white roux. **

**Masashi Kishimoto owns any Naruto characters mention in this story. I only own Cici, Mika, Shiru and the plot. Thank you to anyone who reads this, adds this to their favorites and/or alerts, and/or reviews. Stay tuned for the next chapter. ^.^**


	4. Chapter 4

"Separate, Sifting through the wreckage I can't concentrate; Searching for a message In the fear and pain. Broken down and waiting For the chance to feel alive," Linkin Park _In My Remains_.

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**Chapter 4**

"I'm not here to put sugar in your drink," says a man.

The drink falls from my hands. It makes a thud as it lands. I start scooting to the edge of the bed. Another pair of footsteps walks into the room.

"Cici," Mika says. "This will be the doctor who will check over you."

"Calm down," the man now identified as the doctor says.

Slowly, I start relaxing. Footsteps come closer than stop. A moment later, I feel something warm slowly move across my body. My body immediately becomes rigid since I can't tell what is going on.

"Everything will be fine," Mika says softly.

I bite down on my lower lip as I feel like my ribs start shifting. It's painful, but I dare not cry out afraid it will become worse. A few minutes pass and then the pain in my ribs are gone. The warmth moves and as it does; it feels like my skin crawls. Eventually the warmth comes to a stop at my head, but quickly disappears.

"You're name is Cici, correct," the doctor asks.

"Yes," I mumble.

"Do you know the date of your birth?"

"It's…I don't remember," I reply with a sigh. I hate not knowing anything about myself.

"Do you know how old you are?"

"I'm…" my voice trails off as I close my eyes thinking.

"You don't have to force yourself," says the doctor.

"No…I'm fourteen," I reply back slowly nodding. With a smile I open my eyes still nodding. "Yeah, I'm fourteen."

"Okay, do you know what the date is?"

I stop nodding as my smile fades. Once again I close my eyes trying to figure out the date. But I just come up with nothing. I have no idea about the date or much of anything else.

"No," I reply sadly.

"One last thing; open your eyes, tell me how many fingers I'm holding up."

Opening my eyes I look over at the direction I heard the doctor speaking. All I am able to see is a white rectangle blob. "I don't know."

"What do I look like?"

"A white rectangle, that's all I can tell you."

"Hmm," the doctor says then becomes silent. About five minutes later he speaks up again. "I was able to heal your all of your injuries. However, no one has the ability to help you regain your memories or sight. I'm unsure about how long it will take for you to regain your memories if you ever regain them. As for your sight, you suffer from cortical blindness. Meaning, one of your head injuries was at the occipital lope of your brain. You're not completely blind since you can somewhat see colors and give the general shape of things. I can't do anything for your sight."

I wanted to say 'thanks for telling me something I already know.' Instead, I keep quite looking down at my lap. I sure as heck didn't know about all of the stuff he said. I only know about the amnesia and being somewhat blind. But now I must deal with the fact that I probably won't ever get any of my memories back and that I'll forever be blind.

The doctor and Mika start talking, but I ignore them. My hands ball up into fist as my eyes start burning. A tear slides down my cheek, then another tear and the floodgates open. Biting down on my lip, I hold back the sound of my crying. Was I a horrible person and this is why I'm like this now? Does anyone know what happen to me, that I'm missing? Do I have any family? Does anyone care?

"Cici," the doctor says, but I refuse to look up. "Mika will help you walk around. In a week I'll be back for another visit."

I don't say anything. Footsteps leave the room, but still I don't move. I hear someone move around the room, probably Mika. A moment later I hear her leave. Picking up the pillow, I bury my face into it and start wailing. No one comes to the room. Part of me is happy that I'm being left alone. Another part of me is upset and wants someone holding me telling me that it will all be okay. Instead, the part of me that is happy to be alone pushes that part far away. Besides, what good would it do me?

After a while my crying comes to a stop. Sniffling, I let the pillow fall as I wipe away the rest of my tears. Pushing the covers off, I slowly get out of the bed. Holding out my hands in front of me, I take a few shuffling step forward. My confidence starts rising when I don't trip over anything. However, that confidence is short lived when I bump into something solid.

Moving my hands along the solid surface, I come to the conclusion it's a wall. So, sticking close to the wall, I start walking again, using my hands to help find the door. I bump into something else and let out a groan. Letting my hands trace it, I realize it's a dresser. I'm curious about what's inside it, but I don't bother opening it. I just go back to my task at finding the door leading out of this room. The sooner I find it, the quicker I can find the bathroom and take a shower.

My hand finally finds a door handle. Smiling, I open the door and take a step forward. I stop moving when I feel a bunch of materials hit my face. Bringing my hands up to check I realize I'm in a closet. I let out a frustrated growl and moves out slamming the closet door shut.

"What are you doing," I hear Shiru ask. I almost jump in the air in surprise. Turning around, I try to locate him.

"I'm trying to find my way out so I can use the bathroom."

"Well, Mika just finished dinner, so do you want to eat first?"

"I guess," I reply slowly.

"I'll go get your food."

"No," I say taking a step forward. "I don't want to be in the room anymore."

"O-okay," he says after a few minutes. I watch as his shape move closer to me. "I'll help take you to the table then."

I nod as I feel his small hand take hold of mine. He starts walking, but I don't move. He stops probably wondering why I'm not following. I calm myself down, repeating in my head that nothing bad is going to happen. Why I would think that, I don't know.

"Sorry," I mumble then take a step forward.

"No problem," Shiru replies and helps lead me out of the room.

My feet shuffle across the wooden floor planks. At least that's what they feel like. I don't walk to fast just in case I have to make a run for it. Not that I could go far since I have no clue where I am at plus my sight would probably cause me to run into things.

"Mika," Shiru says as he comes to a stop. I stop before I walk into him. "Cici wants out of the room, can she eat with us?"

"That's fine," Mika replies.

"Okay," Shiru says and starts leading me forward again. "I have the chair pulled out, so you can sit down."

Looking forward I see something that is chair shape. Reaching my hand out, I carefully sit down. The sound of a chair scarping across the floor reaches my ears. My eyes follow what looks like Mika. She moves around and within a few minutes she starts placing stuff down on the table. Spicy scents float up and assault my nose. My nose crinkles up as I try to keep myself from sneezing.

"Would you like one of us to help feed you," Mika asks.

"No," I reply quickly.

"Alright," she replies as she places something in front of me. "It is curry, I hope you don't mind."

I shake my head in reply while looking down. Mika and Shiru say something and then I hear them start eating. Lifting my hand to the table, I feel around for some sort of eating utensil.

"Cici, how do you feel about crowds," Mika asks just as my hand closes around a spoon.

"I don't know," I reply looking up.

"Well, tomorrow we're going to take you shopping for some clothes. The ones you have really stick out."

"Can I get me some new weapons," Shiru asks.

"If there is enough money," Mika replies.

"How old are you Shiru," I ask.

"I'm ten."

"What do you need weapons for," I ask confused. Parents let their children run around with weapons? Isn't that unsafe? Then yet again what do I know?

"I'm training to be a ninja," Shiru replies pulling me out of my thoughts. "Mika and I are waiting for a reply from the hokage to allow us to move into Konoha that way I can attend the academy."

"Hokage," I ask tilting my head even more confused. "Konoha?"

"Oh that's right, I forgot you lost your memory," Shiru says with a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I reply.

"Konoha is one of the five great shinobi countries," Mika says. "The hokage is the leader of Konoha."

"Who is the hokage," I ask, hoping I might be able to receive a memory.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen," Mika replies. "He retired, but had taken the title of hokage again after the fourth hokage died."

"Okay," I say with a small nod, disappointed that even after receiving this information, I have no memory.

We all fall silent. I finally decide that my food is cool enough. Getting some food on my spoon, at least I hope I did, I place my free hand under the spoon and lift it to my mouth. I take a bite to thankfully find food.

It takes me a while to finish eating. Shiru had left to take a bath while Mika did the dishes. Standing up, I grab my bowl and shuffle my way towards Mika's blurry figure.

"Here," I mumble, placing the bowl next to her.

"You didn't have to," she says. I simply shrug in reply.

"I'm finished," Shiru yells as he runs back into the room.

"Show Cici the way to the bathroom, I'm sure she would like to bathe."

"Okay," Shiru replies. Once again I feel his small hand in mine. He starts pulling me away from Mika. "The bathroom is this way."

Shiru leads the way to the bathroom. He lets go of my hand and starts doing something. A second later I hear the sound of water.

"Here's a rag," Shiru says as he places, well I guess the rag, in my hands. "Mika might be able to come back here and give you a towel and something to sleep in when you're done."

"Okay, how do I turn the water off?"

"Move the knobs clockwise," Shiru replies. "The shampoo and soap are in the corner of the tub. Enjoy your bath."

I only nod in reply. The door opens then close signaling Shiru's leave. Slowly, I move towards the sound of the water. I get down on my knees and place the rag where I can find it and then I stand back up. After I figure out how to take off the clothing, I undress and get into the tub and sink into the warm water. I reach over searching the faucet, finding the knobs I turn them off after a few minutes.

Since I can't really see that much, I scrub myself four times until my skin felt raw. As for my hair, I scrub my scalp about two times. I didn't know my hair was about mid-back, so washing it had taken a long time. Mika did come and give me a towel as well as some pajamas. After drying off and dressing up, she help me back to the bedroom.

"Sleep well," Mika says. "We have a long day ahead of us." I nod in reply and we say a quick goodnight. Even Shiru came into the room saying goodnight. I thought it would take me a while to fall asleep, but it didn't.

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**Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter is kind uneventful. I will say this though; starting in the next chapter the adventure will begin and pick up. Chapters one through four were pretty much just to set everything in place so that future events can take place. They may have been boring but they were necessary. Sometime around chapter ten is when an Akatsuki member will show up.**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns anything Naruto related mention in this story. I only own Cici, Mika, Shiru and the plot. Thank you to anyone who reads this, adds this to their favorites and/or alerts, and/or reviews. Stay tuned for the next chapter. ^.^**


	5. Chapter 5

"We were different people back then. Look at all the hateful things we've said, and I'm just as guilty;" Brantley Gilbert _You Promised_.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It's irritating me that I can't see a thing. Sweet aromas can be found around almost every corner. People are walking their chattering fills the air. They all seem to be nice. Shiru has run off to hang out with some friends. Meanwhile Mika pulls me along beside her.

"I know the owner of this store," Mika says as she comes to a stop. "We'll be able to get a discount."

"Okay," I reply not really caring.

She starts pulling me forward. The sound of a small bell echoes overhead. Lifting my hand, I hold it out to the side feeling the different fabrics as Mika pulls me along.

"Mika what a pleasure to see you," I hear woman say. "Who is that with you?"

"This is Cici. I was hoping you can help us pick out something for her."

"Of course, I wouldn't mind at all. Do like any certain colors dear?"

"Uh…" my voice trails off as I think for a moment. "Not that I can think of."

"She's recently got a head injury," Mika says.

"Oh, I completely understand. You know, I'm sure I can find some amazing outfits that would be perfect for her. Follow me."

Mika pulls me along as we follow the woman. A moment later we come to a stop. My eyes narrow as I wait trying to figure out what is going on.

"Oh, this would look good on her," the woman says. "Cici, go try this on in the dressing room."

"Where is the dressing room?"

"I'll take her," Mika says and once again pulls me along. I'm really starting to hate being pulled along. "We're here; do you want my help putting on the kimono?"

"I think I can figure it out myself."

"Okay," she replies letting go of my hand and placing fabric in it. "Take a few steps forward and you'll be inside the dressing room."

Nodding, I do as she instructs. I hear the sound of a sliding door. Sighing, I move my hands across the kimono trying to somewhat get a picture of it in my mind. After a moment I hold it out in front of me. I can make out the color purple and some sort of green.

With a shrug, I place the kimono down. I start stripping out of the grey kimono Mika let me borrowed. Picking up the other kimono, I try to figure out how to put it on. It takes me a while, but once I think I got it on just right I turn around to face the sliding door I never moved away from.

"I'm done," I call out. Within seconds the door slides open.

"That looks perfect," I hear the storeowner say. "You should totally buy it. I have another pile of clothing for you to try on."

"It does look good on her," Mika says. "We'll get it. Cici, try the other clothes on."

"Sure," I say as a pile of clothing is placed in my arms.

Once again the sliding door closes. For the next couple hours, I'm trying on all sorts of different clothes. My head throbs in pain, but I stay in silence suffering. The whole shopping experience is torture. Why the heck should any of the designs matter? It isn't like I plan on leaving Mika and Shiru. Plus, I highly doubt I'm going to come across anyone to spend time with when they both live out in the forest. I'm taking a guess when I say I guess I never like shopping.

"Mika," I hear Shiru shouting from afar when we step out of the store carry a bunch of bags. I turn in the direction of his voice. "Cici!"

A blur, I assume is Shiru, rushes over to us. Mika lets out a chuckle. I slightly slouch, lowering my head as I feel people looking over and starring at us.

"What is it Shiru," Mika asks.

"I was talking to my friends about Cici, when this man rushed over to us. He looked very distraught and hopeful. The man wants to meet us; he thinks Cici is his daughter that he's been looking for."

"Where is he at," Mika asks sounding a little on edge.

"He was right behind me," Shiru replies. "There he is, he's running over."

"Both of you please get behind me just in case," Mika says as she pushes me back a little.

The blur of Shiru stands beside me. A moment later another blur, runs up to us panting. He must be the man Shiru was talking about. It looks like he is bent over, probably has his hands on his knees.

"State your name," Mika commands.

"My…name…is…Zumozu," the man replies between breaths.

"What is your purpose," Mika ask, not losing one bit of her commanding tone.

After about several seconds, the man stands up straight. "Your son was talking about a girl by the name of Cici to his group of friends. I overheard the conversation and told him to lead me the way to you so that I can see if the girl is my daughter. May I see her?"

"Why are you looking for your daughter? How did she go missing? How long has she been missing," Mika asks as she makes herself seem taller.

"We had gotten into an argument," the man says desperately. "She wanted to go to her friend's party, but I didn't want her to go. The argument got heated and she told me she hated me then stormed off to her room. When I went to go wake her the next morning, I found her bed empty and a few of her belongings missing. Immediately I started looking for her. No one knew where she went. For these past three months I've been traveling trying to find her. Please, I must see her."

The man started to cry halfway through his explanation. I want come out from behind Mika, but I don't know if that is a good thing. What if I'm really not his daughter and he ends up disappointed?

"Shiru, Cici, you can come out now," Mika says.

Shuffling my feet, I step out from behind Mika with Shiru. The man lets out a gasp and I lower my head. Suddenly I feel to arms around me and I immediately become frozen.

"Cici," the man cries. "Oh my little girl, I've missed you so much."

"Well, it seems we didn't have to leave the town to search for her family," Shiru says, probably to lighten the mood.

"I think we should all eat out for lunch," Mika says. "Zumozu sir, there are some things we must tell you."

"Lunch sounds good," the man replies as he removes his arms from me. At that moment my stomach lets out a growl. I lower my head feeling my cheeks heat up. "My poor little girl, look at you. You're so skinny. You need food, have you not been eating right?"

"She was like that when I found her," Shiru replies.

"This way," Mika suddenly says.

Mika starts walking. Shiru catches up to her. Zumozu puts his arm around my shoulder and starts following them. Biting on my lower lip, I keep quiet as I suppress the urge to throw his arm off me. I can deal with Shiru and Mika holding my hand and pulling me along, even though I don't like it and would rather rip my hand away from them. However, having his arm around my shoulder makes it a difficult to hold back the urge. It irritates me when people touch me, I don't like it.

My eyes widen as I quietly gasp. I didn't know about that fact about me. It just came from nowhere. Wherever it came from, I hope I can remember more about myself.

"Cici, you okay," Zumozu asks pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I mumble looking down.

"You're not still mad at me," he asks. "Next time your friend throws a party you can go, I promise."

"Thanks," I reply a little unsure as Mika leads us into a small café or resturant.

We walk, I guess, towards the back to a small booth, at least I think it's a booth, with my sight the shape reminds me of a booth. I slide into my seat. Zumozu sits across from me. I can tell it's him because he's wearing a lot of black unlike Mika and Shiru. Mika wears a lot of blues and Shiru wears brown. Shiru sits next to me and Mika sits next to him. All three of us face Zumozu. I should probably be calling him my father, but it just doesn't seem right.

"Hello, my name is Riki; I'll be your waitress. Here is the menu; I'll be back in a few minutes to see what you want."

"Thank you," Mika says to the waitress.

I grab hold of the menu. Opening it, I use it to cover my face and hide the fact that I can't read it. Humming, quietly I place the menu down already knowing what I want. Placing my chin in my palm, I pretend to be paying attention to the stuff that is happening around us.

"Are you ready to order," Riki asks coming back after a few minutes.

"I'll have yakitori*," Zumozu replies.

"Would you like that cooked with salt or tare sauce?"

"Salt," he replies. "I'll also have Aojiru* to drink."

"I'll have Tonkatsu* and water," Mika says.

"Okayu* and orenji juusu*," Shiru says happily.

"I'll have dango and green tea please," I say handing the menu back.

"Okay, I'll be back soon with everything," Riki says then walks away.

"Sir," Mika says, probably speaking to Zumozu. "Is Cici's mother back at home?"

"She died a month ago," Zumozu replies with a sad tone.

"Gomen," Mika says.

"I miss her dearly, but she's in a better place now," he replies.

Folding my hands in my lap, I look down at the greyish looking table. Well, my…father –still doesn't seem right to say- has been looking for me, so it seems he cares. As for my mother (I'm not getting any memories of her) is dead, but how and why?

"Gomen for not being there," I say softly.

"It's okay," Zumozu says. "Your mother knows you loved her, and she loved you too."

I only nod in reply feeling a bit sad and guilty. Mika starts talking to my father. She tells him how Shiru found me the other day and that I'm suffering from amnesia. Sounding a bit sad, he tells her that Shiru had informed him about the amnesia, but that he plans to help me regain my memories. At that I give him a small smile, only because I had the feeling he was looking at me and smiling. I'm just happy Mika nor does Shiru tell him about my blindness. That's something I want to keep to myself.

After some time passes, Riki shows up saying, "here is your food and drinks."

Thanking her, we then say "Itadakimasu*," and start eating. We eat in silence, most likely all lost in our own thoughts. Now that my father has found me, I'll be going home with him. That fact puts me a little on edge. In fact, I feel like running away from him then let him take me home. There has to be another reason for me to have runaway then just the fact of him telling me I couldn't go to my friend's party. Who is my friend?

I don't trust him. But then again, I also don't trust Mika and Shiru. Of course they have been nice to me, but some part of me is just waiting for them to do something bad to me. As far as I'm concern, since I no longer have any memories, everyone is an enemy or at least a potential enemy. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Maybe I should just trust them. I have no idea what to do.

Finally, we all finish eating. We place everything back the way Riki had served us. Well, I tried to, but Shiru did it for me. Mika goes to pay the bill but Zumozu does instead, insisting that it's his way of paying them back for trying to take care of me.

"Gochisosama," we all say to Riki and the owner of the place. Mika leads the way back outside.

"Once again thank you for finding my daughter and taking care of her," Zumozu says once we're outside.

"You're welcome," Shiru replies, I can almost imagine him with a grin on his face.

"It wasn't a problem," Mika says.

"I think," Zumozu says as I feel him put his arm around my shoulder. "We should start heading back to our home."

I once again become frozen. He squeezes my shoulder, probably to calm me down and for me to relax. But I don't feel like relaxing. What I want is for his arm to get off me and to get away from him. I don't want to follow him home.

"Do you really have to go now," Shiru asks slightly whining.

"Yes," he replies.

"Here is some clothing I had bought for Cici," Mika says. I watch her as she handed him what looked like the bags...stupid me of course it was the bags.

"I appreciate what you have done for Cici, you didn't have to do this," he says sounding a little overjoyed.

"Have a safe journey on your way back home," Mika replies.

"Thank you," he replies.

"When you get the chance you should visit us in Konoha," Shiru says.

"Okay," I say with a small smile. How am I going to find Konoha?

"Goodbye," Shiru says and a moment later I feel him hugging me around my waist.

For a moment I'm shocked. Zumozu chuckles loudly. Slowly my smile gets a little bit bigger as I hug him back. Shiru is just a little younger than me, there's no reason for me not to trust him. Plus, even though I don't like being touched, it isn't going to hurt me to return his hug.

"It was nice meeting you Shiru," I say as he pulls away and I place my hand on top of his head to ruffle his hair.

"Same," he replies. "I'll miss you."

"Goodbye," Mika says. "It was nice meeting you both. Take care of yourselves."

"We will," Zumozu says. "Goodbye."

"Bye," I say with a small wave as my father turns us around and starts walking. My heart gets lodge up in my throat as I fight the urge to run in the opposite direction of my father.

* * *

**Author's Note: Things are starting to pick up. If things go according to plan, some Akatsuki members will be showing up at around chapter ten; maybe even a little bit sooner, but no later than chapter twelve. Will Mika and Shiru ever come back in the story? Mika no, Shiru it's very plausible. Links for a couple of Cici's outfits that were bought as well as the food will be on my profile.**

**Yakitori- skewered chicken**

**Aojiru- green juice, is made from kale**

**Tonkatsu- pork cutlet with shredded cabbage**

**Okayu- rice porridge**

**Orenji juusu- orange juice**

**Itadakimasu- I humbly receive**

**Gochisosama- It's been a feast/Thank you for the meal**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns anything Naruto related mention in this story. I only own Cici, Mika, Shiru, Zumozu and the plot. Thank you to anyone who reads this, adds this to their favorites and/or alerts, and/or reviews. Stay tuned for the next chapter. ^.^**


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